June 16, 2009

Right and Wrong in the Midst of Financial Despair

In what has become an all-too-common occurrence in the middle of this global financial turmoil, an Orlando, Florida man has apparently killed his entire family, as well as himself, in a desperate attempt to free them all from the grip of severe financial troubles.John Wood, 41, appears to have shot his wife Cynthia, 40, and their two children, ages 10 and 12, before turning the gun on himself.Details are still emerging, but those that have seen the light of day thus far include things like bankruptcy troubles, $85,000 in credit card debt, lost jobs, and general financial calamity.

Unfortunately, we’re also learning that in the face of these difficulties, mom and dad seemed disinclined to apply any brakes.The bodies were discovered by a housekeeper, begging the question why someone in such a dreadful bind still had a housekeeper.There’s more, including well-known weekly shopping trips to the mall, and even a recent trip to Las Vegas wherein John and Cynthia allegedly lost $2500 while gambling.

We don’t know precisely what brought about this horrible tragedy, and we may never know…but the speculation about financial problems seems fair, given what has been uncovered so far.What is disturbing is that it seems, by all accounts, that John and Cynthia were unwilling to rein in their lust for consumption, even in the face of trouble that began years before.They lived in a beautiful home, in a gated community, and owned cars, a boat, a motorcycle, etc.; how awful to think that an insistence on living that life, for as long as they lived at all, was more important than life itself.